The Sudanese Foreign Ministry has called on the international community to label the militia group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as a terrorist group and to make dealings with the leader of the group, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo illegal.
In a statement, the Ministry said that the RSF and its allies’ have continuously fought against the Sudanese people, adding that it is following with interest the most recent report from UN observers on the application of Security Council Resolution 1591 on Darfur and the rebel militia’s warfare.
According to the UN report, between 10,000 and 15,000 people were killed by the RSF in the city of Sudan’s West Darfur region last year in ethnic violence, including women, children, and the elderly.
The Ministry added that the rebel militia was able to expand its military operations and carry out atrocities against civilians because of the ongoing supply of sophisticated weapons that were supplied and facilitated by certain countries and arrived on flights multiple times a week, in violation of pertinent Security Council resolutions.
The Ministry demanded that the Security Council task all countries arming the militia and supporting them politically to stop, saying that they ought to be held accountable for their aggression and subject to international criminal law.
According to the UN report, the conflict in Sudan caused the displacement of about 7.5 million people inside and outside the country.
On Thursday, January 18, 2024, during the 42nd Meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Uganda, heads of state met with Hamdan, the commander of the RSF, to discuss ways to resolve the current crisis in Sudan.
The Sudanese government declined to attend the IGAD Summit which was intended to resolve the nine month conflict, following the invitation of Hamdan to the summit, citing is improper inclusion.
The root of the RSF is traced back to the “Janjaweed militias” formed by the Sudanese government under former President Omar Al-Bashir to crush a rebellion in Darfur.
